Fisticuffs break out between driver, pedestrian in Old Town

A Park City man was injured Wednesday morning in Old Town during a brief confrontation with a driver he accused of not yielding when he was preparing to walk across a street, the Park City Police Department said.

Phil Kirk, a police captain, said the 50-year-old man was preparing to walk across Park Avenue, from east to west, outside the Park City Library and Education Center. He was close to but not inside a crosswalk.

The police were told the driver, a 63-year-old who lives in Park City, was heading southbound in a Chevy Tahoe and did not slow down to allow the pedestrian to cross. The pedestrian raised his arms as the driver passed and gave the driver an obscene gesture, the police said.

The driver pulled over, got out of the vehicle and approached the pedestrian in a threatening manner, the police were told. Kirk said the two exchanged words before the driver punched the pedestrian in the face several times. The victim fell to the ground, Kirk said. The driver then returned to the vehicle and left southbound. The victim suffered a bloodied nose and a cut on the left cheek, Kirk said. He declined medical treatment at the scene. Kirk said the driver did not suffer injuries.

The victim called the police with a description of the vehicle and a license-plate number. Officers found the vehicle on a residential street in Old Town and interviewed the suspect. The person told the police the confrontation involved mutual combat with both of them throwing punches, Kirk said. The police also spoke to independent witnesses.

The police issued the driver a misdemeanor assault citation. The pedestrian was not cited. The police did not identify the driver.

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